Homily written by lay person but delivered by a priest

[Mary888]

The writing of the homilies doesn’t seem so bad to me, if it’s on topic with the readings and of useful guidance to the congregation.

LighthouseRon:

Many Sundays my wife and I feel like we’re being admonished for not being good enough. I understand that none of us are good enough for God but my opinion, and I understand it’s just my opinion, we as parishioners might be better served by meeting us where we’re at and give some encouragement and less admonishment. Two put it more simply, it’s getting difficult to be taken out behind the woodshed so often.

I was thinking the same thing. But it may be the case that she isn’t writing aiming at the OP and his wife, she just feels a need to admonish people or the world for what is wrong with it. Sometimes people feel this way, sometimes the old, sometimes the young. The priest probably feels the same way since he reads these homilies he most certainly agrees with. Maybe the style is just something the priest likes a lot and since he isn’t literary gifted he prefers your MIL’s way of putting things.

 

[Diaconia]

It is very unusual, to say the very least. If this were a one-time thing, that would be different; but if she is writing the homilies every week, that is quite strange.

The primary job of a priest is to preach. While it is fine to use other resources to construct a homily, the intention of the homily is to reflect, at least partially, the lived experience of the preacher in relation to the congregation.

I personally do not like “homily services” for precisely this reason. While they always have good content in relation to the Scriptures of the day - they are not a personal experience of my parishioners at my parish.

A tangential thought - when the homilies begin to fixate about the same thing (admonishing / scolding in this example), that is not a good sign.

Perhaps you could visit with the priest and see what’s going on. He may be ill or burned out or in need of some affirmation.

Deacon Christopher

 

[michaelArc]

Seems a bit lazy to me.

 

[Kima]

It seems odd, but I don´t know whether it´s okay or not.

 

[SeekSalvation]

If this Priest is using this methodology as a means to teach the lay, then it’s OK. Perhaps the Priest assist, helps, and provides (name removed by moderator)ut and suggestion in the homilies that are being written by the lay? Perhaps you’re not seeing the whole picture?

 

[TheLittleLady]

I never said they wern’t.

Nuns are Religious Persons. I never claimed they were clerics.

 

[CilladeRoma]

But that is what “lay” means, not a cleric.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Again, for some reason I’ve been misunderstood.

I know what a lay person is, I know what a cleric is, I know what a nun is, etc.

 

[CilladeRoma]

So, then why are you arguing that sisters/nuns are not laity?

I do believe that @babochka and @Gorgias have clarified what the Church means when she uses the terms.

 

[OraLabora]

A nun is a lay person. They are not ordained and they are not clerics, therefore that are lay people.

Actually nuns, which specifically are cloistered while sisters aren’t, are consecrated religious. They have their own distinct status in Canon Law quite apart from the laity.

The confusion comes from misuse of the word « nun » to mean all religious women, when it in fact really means *cloistered * women.

For sure an abbess, who is not ordained, isn’t a layperson! But she is, a nun. She will have received theological training on par with a priest’s, but without sacerdotal functions, for obvious ontological reasons.

 

[Diaconia]

All Religious that are not deacons or priests are lay people.

Religious are a special kind of lay persons, and that is why they have specific sections of Canon Law regulating their special status.

I, must confess however, I do not understand what this has to do with the thread.

Deacon Christopher

 

[OraLabora]

I think it has to do with the possibility of religious writing homilies for the given as an example.

As it happens I’m in a monastery as I write this so I asked the monk I work with in the library. He is the former novice master and last year celebrated 50 years of ordination. His answer was that non-priest consecrated religious are under vows and are not laity, but rather « non-clerical religious ».

I recognize that this appears to be a grey area open to different interpretations, and thus becomes a « how many angels can dance on the head of a pin » type question, i.e. not worth arguing about, so « over and out ».

 

[po18guy]

Has it been mentioned? A priest is required to put effort into the homily, and to reflect on it. It is confessory material if he fails to do this. If MIL does not have training in theology, can we be certain that error is not being taught? As presented, this is a very unusual situation.

 

[Gorgias]

I think we’re being precise to the detriment of accuracy. It’s kind of like the term “secular” priest - it sounds like an oxymoron because the word secular is used differently in common practice.

That’s what specialized jargon is all about – it provides precision in a particular context beyond what is possible in common practice.

 

[TheLittleLady]

I am not arguing.

I stated

A nun is a Religious Person

And it seems many people felt the need to “correct” me.